Mathematical language can heighten the imagery of a poem; mathematical structure can deepen its effect. Feast here on an international menu of poems made rich by mathematical ingredients . . . . . . . gathered by JoAnne Growney.

Saturday, January 10, 2015

Opposites, Balance

Recently, and perhaps always, opposites have interested me. For example, the complementary and sometimes conflicting nuggets of advice contained in "Pinch a penny, waste a pound" and "It is best to prepare for the days of necessity." And in "Kindness effects more than severity" and "Spare the rod, spoil the child." Maybe what I like best is the challenge of synthesizing opposite truths. Mathematics contains many pairs of entities that are, each in some different sense, opposites:

2 and -2 2 and 1/2

horizontal and vertical differentiation and integration

And there are some arbitrary subdivisions that often are treated as if they are disconnected opposites:

I watched the arctic landscape from above and thought of nothing, lovely nothing. I observed white canopies of clouds, vast expanses where no wolf tracks could be found.I thought about you and about the emptiness that can promise one thing only: plenitude— and that a certain sort of snowy wasteland bursts from a surfeit of happiness.As we drew closer to our landing, the vulnerable earth emerged among the clouds, comic gardens forgotten by their owners, pale grass plagued by winter and the wind.I put my book down and for an instant felt a perfect balance between waking and dreams. But when the plane touched concrete, then assiduously circled the airport's labryinth,I once again knew nothing. The darkness of daily wanderings resumed, the day's sweet darkness, the darkness of the voice that counts and measures, remembers and forgets.

Zagajewski was born in Poland but has lived in many cities and has taught at several US universities. "Balance" may be found at poets.org and is from his collection Eternal Enemies (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2008). More Zagewski poems are online here.The theme of opposites herein also connects to earlier considerations of zero as something or nothing (see, for example, my postings for 24 December 2014 and 3 January 2015).

Contact JoAnne Growney: wow(at)joannegrowney(dot)com.

JoAnne Growney is available for presentations -- readings, workshops, interactive lectures -- and collaborations. For information about her collaborative activities (art-poetry, math-poetry, translation), publications, and so on -- visit https://joannegr.dot5hosting.com/.